"The Spokane Tribe is but two signatures away from approval of its decadelong effort to build a casino in Airway Heights. May those pens run dry.
Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs said it would support the tribe’s plan for a casino, hotel, spa and associated retail outlets despite vociferous objections from local government and business officials worried primarily about the project’s impact on Fairchild Air Force Base.
Alternative proposals included a scaled-down casino, or none at all, and one version without the 300-room hotel. Alternative 4 – no action/no development, would be our preferred option.
The preliminary BIA decision could not have come at a worse time for Fairchild. The base is among four finalists for receiving the first new-generation air-refueling tankers based on the Boeing 767. And just over the horizon is another likely Pentagon base-closure review in 2015."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Spokanes’ casino hopes nearer, but need dashing
(The Spokesman Review 2/3)
Also Today:
BIA backs proposed casino
(The Spokesman Review 2/2)
Federal Register Notice:
Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Spokane Tribe of Indians West
Plains Casino and Mixed Use Project, City of Airway Heights, Spokane County, WA
(February 1, 2013)
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BIA finishes review of Spokane Tribe's
off-reservation casino (2/1)
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